Year 5: Introduction to the Eastern Arts
by Animejo
Summary: Harry is introduced to Eastern magic, and the transfer student decides to become a Slytherin. HPDM, BZOC, HGRW. Disregards all books afer the 4th. Rehauled. Will be slash


Year Five: Introduction to the Eastern Arts

Animejo

Disclaimer: You've read this one, so. . . I definitely don't own Harry Potter and his world.

**Chapter One: Draco Undergoes an Epiphany of Sorts and Evidence that there is a Wizarding _World_**

Draco Malfoy leaned against the window seat, trying to ignore the sounds of Goyle and Crabbe gorging on a tall stack of sweets.

"Hey, Draco! Try some of these cauldron cakes! They're great," Crabbe yelled to the blonde boy.

Draco winced as crumbs sprayed out of the brute's open mouth. Shaking his head, he turned back to stare moodily out in the howling storm outside.

- § -

Harry Potter smiled as a deck of Exploding Snap cards lived up to their name by exploding in the faces of a very startled Ron Weasly and indignant Hermione Granger.

Chuckling, he said, "You two should just see your faces!" Hermione and Ron was a comical sight indeed. The heat from the exploding cards had singed their eyebrows and the force of it had blown the hair from their foreheads, leaving the two wide-eyed.

"Oh, shove it, Harry," said Ron as he looked at the smoking heap of cards in disgust.

Hermione's scowl deepened as she waved her wand and repaired their appearance. "Honestly, Ron. I actually decide to play, and they blow up even before I had the chance to even touch a card!"

Harry frowned at the charred pile between his two friends, "Ron, once the deck explodes, can you reuse them? Wouldn't it be a total waste of two sickles if it can't?"

Hermione was quick to reply, her mood lightening at the chance to dispense knowledge. "Oh, each deck has three uses, gaurenteed. I remember either Fred or George told me once."

Ron looked over to his black-haired friend, "Why should you worry, Harry? You've got heaps and heaps of sickles in Gringotts."

Harry shrugged, "I dunno. It just doesn't seem right to spend money I haven't earned myself on such frivolous things."

Ron bluntly said, "Harry, I know you're famous and all that, but you don't have to be so disgustingly noble all the time, y'know?"

Hermione shot the redhead a look that could have cut ice. Turning to Harry, she placed a comforting hand on his arm, "It's okay, Harry. I'm sure your parents won't mind. We do have pocket money, after all."

The conversation would have continued in the same heated vein if a girl they didn't recognize opened the compartment door.

- § -

Unsure of her welcome, Wren smiled at the three people already sitting in the small room. "Hi, I'm Wren, nice to meet you. All the other compartments are full—do you mind if I sit here?"

Immediately after her obviously friendly greeting, a girl with startlingly bushy brown hair stood up, "I'm Hermione Granger." As she motioned for Wren to take a sit next to her, she introduced the other two boys, "The redhead is Ron Weasly and you know who the other one is, of course. We're all from the same House—Griffyndor."

Hoping she wouldn't be kicked out for the question, Wren asked, "What is this 'House' you are talking about? And I'm sorry, but I don't really don't know who you are." She smiled apologeticly at the tall, lean boy with untidy black hair and the strangely shaped scar.

She was taken aback when the even taller Ron started to choke on the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans at her question. Hermione perked up as the unknown boy pounded his friend's back.

Hermione declared, "You're a transfer student!"

Wren nodded, "Yes, from Northern China's Blue Sky Academy of Magical Studies." Pausing, Wren decided to take a chance and continued, "If I can guess, I think what you call your House of Gryffindor would my Clan of the Unicorn. I'll make another guess that you," she nodded at the black-haired boy, "Are the Miracle Boy everyone was and still are talking about--the one who survived a direct attack from Voldemort. Am I right?"

Wren smiled as her three new friends as they looked stunned at her quite accurate "guesses".

Harry was the first to pick his jaw up from the floor and stick a hand out for her to shake, "Welcome to Hogwarts, Wren."

- § -

"So," Hermione started, "Tell us a little about yourself."

"Sure," Wren agreed, "As long as you return the favor."

Hermione nodded, "Of course."

"Well," began Wren as her audience listened avidly, eager for stories of another type of Wizarding world. "There are three Clans in Blue Sky. The Dragon, Unicorn, and Pheonix Clans. Our school had an extremely difficult ciriculum, compared to the other school in China."

Hermione asked, "Sorry to interrupt, but how do you get Sorted to each of your Clans? Over here in Britain, we use a hat that can read minds."

Wren shivered, "That sounds awfully intrusive to me, but in Blue Sky, students go into a room with three doors individually. Each door stands for a Clan and through magic, for these doors are magicked by the most powerful wizards and witches on the academy staff, a student just randomly picks a door and opens it.

"Through chance, Fate, or something, each students always ends up in the right Clan. They might not like it, but they belong in whichever Clan they happen to get."

Ron was awed, "Blimey, that is so cool!"

Harry was envious, remembering what the hat had muttered in his ear as he was Sorted. "Wish we had doors instead of a talking, psychic hat."

Wren continued, "We have seven years of schooling, same as Hogwarts, I guess. We have about five thousand students in each Clan. China has a lot more people than Britain, so there are more Magical folk. There's not much more than that."

Ron, however, wanted more details, "Tell use about the school itself! Does it have those bloody staircases that move?"

Wren looked shocked, "You have staircases that move?"

Hermione looked wise, "Yes. We also have ghosts, an annoying poltergeist called Peeves, moving pictures, and a lot more."

Wren looked as if she was not sure whether she wanted to know what "a lot more" was. Hesitantly, she said, "Well, we have ghost too. Lady Chen is our Clan ghost. She's really--how do you say it--cool. She knows a lot and is willing to help any students who need it. We of the Unicorn are lucky. Dragon's ghost is sort of a hermit, but most the students in that Clan are usually too proud to ask for help. Pheonix's ghost is willing to help as well, but the students over there don't know when to ask for help. "

Impatiently, Ron said, "Yes, yes. Now tell us about the building!"

Horrified, Hermione exclaimed, "Ron! Don't be so rude!"

"You sound like my mother," muttered Ron.

Wren did the best thing and ignored that little side conversation, "The academy is a skyscraper, to blend in with the rest of the city. Because of transportation problems before the school was built, the Academy is in Hong Kong. Student dorms are in other separate but near by buildings. The window glass and all the walls are strongly spelled and mirrored to prevent breakage or any Muggles from seeing students at work. The inside is nothing special. Just carpets and magic-fueled lighting."

This time, it was Harry who interrupted, "Do you play quidditch over there?"

Wren glanced at him questioningly, "I don't think so, because the name isn't familiar. We do have fitness training though, but all Chinese and Japanese schools have the classes. Archery, martial arts, fencing, and other sports like it. The Magical Studies Academies encourage being fit, ever since Voldemort's reappearence. Dueling is now a required class for those in the Fifth Level and up. In order to pass, one must have at least two years on your record."

Harry was disappointed, but explained the game of quidditch to the curious Wren. When Harry finished, Wren asked them to tell her about how Hogwarts might be different from her school.

Hermione was the first to talk, "Hogwarts doesn't have quite as many people and we're situated in an enchanted castle. we have four Houses to your three Clans-Gryffindor the brave, Ravenclaw the intelligent, Hufflepuff the loyal, and Slytherin the ambitous. The Houses were named after the founders Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin."

Ron butted in, "You-Know-Who was in Slytherin. I don't know how in the world you can say his name like Harry over here." He shivered at the thought of saying Voldemort's name.

Harry was the one to add a word of warning, "Wren, were any of you parents Muggles?"

Puzzled, Wren replied, "Well, my father didn't have magic even though he came from a long line of magical folk." When the three exchanged troubled looks, she asked, "Why?"

Harry hedged, "Well, Salazar was not that okay with any children of Muggle or even half-Muggle parents going to Hogwarts and your father is a Squib, so that pretty much means the same as Muggle."

Hermione, exasperated, said, "Oh, Harry, just tell her." Turning back to face Wren squarely, she said frankly, "What Harry means to say is that, the Slytherins aren't nice to people of Muggle descent, so you should beware of them."

Ron added, "Especially-"

Ron never got to finish his sentence, for the door slid opened and a cold voice said, "Well, well, well. If it isn't Potter, his Weasel sidekick, and the Mudblood."

- § -

Draco was bored. He decided to remedy the problem by annoying his favortie victims, the famous trio of Gryffindor.

As he stood up, Crabbe and Goyle hurriedly shoved some sweets into their pockets before following him. Draco grimaced. His father had ordered the two huge boys to shadow his every move like two silent bodyguards. _As if I need protection and what kind of bodyguards are they if they can hardly hold their wand?_

He did his best to ignore the two hulking shadows behind him as he strode toward the end of the train. Potter is just too predictable. The end of the train every single year. How boring.

Hearing Granger's voice, he opened the door with his usual greeting. _Ah, now _I'm_ getting too boring_. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Potter, his Weasel sidekick, and the Mudblood." Draco tried not to wince when he called Granger that. It was hard not to as his father had pounded it into him ever since he could remember. "Muggles and halfbloods are below us." Draco, however, felt that calling someone his own age even more intelligent than him Mudblood just . . . wrong.

He was surprised, however, to see a girl he did not recognize from any of the Houses. Her long hair was tied in a tight ponytail that Draco was willing to bet tighter than McGonagall's bun. Arrogantly, he asked, "And who are you?"

- § -

Harry lept up and hurriedly restrained Ron when the boy with the most amazing white-blonde hair called Hermione a Mudblood. Wren was not sure what this new word meant, but by literally translating the two words mud and blood, she guessed it meant dirty blood. Not very creative and not as insulting as other words may be.

Wren was confused though, that Hermione helped Harry restrain the tall, red-haired boy. _Why isn't she angry since she was the one the other boy insulted? _Then she saw the two young giants behind the boy and realization dawned. If Ron tried to beat that boy up, he'd be pulped by the other two. Taking out her ash and dragonwhisker wand, she murmured a spell in her native Chinese. Immediately, Ron calmed down.

Hermione must have heard her because she turned, wide-eyed, and exclaimed, "You did a spell in another language!"

Wren tried to shrug it off, uncomfortable with the stares she was getting, "Well, my school teaches in Chinese."

Hermione asked, "Do you know any English spells?"

Wren nodded, "I knew I was going to be transferred, so I studied the English section of the Academy library over the summer.

The new boy, irritated at being ignored spoke up, "And who are you?"

Angered by the slightly negative emphasis this new arrival had put on the word 'you', Wren was a little rude when she shot back, "Who are you?"

A little taken aback, the blonde merely replied, "Draco Malfoy from Slytherin."

Deciding to add on all the bells and bangles to her identity, Wren said, "Zhyr Ai Wren of House Zhyr from the Clan of the Unicorn in Northern China's Blue Sky Academy. Pleased to make your acquaintance." It being the English style of greeting, she stuck out her hand to be shaken.

A peek from the edge of her eyes showed a wide-eyed Hermione, stoic Harry, and silently laughing Ron. Obviously, Hermione was not the only one impressed. Draco shook her hand, something Wren felt, that he did not usually do, if the reactions of his two "bodyguards" were anything to go by.

Stunned, Hermione started babbling before Draco could talk, "You're from the House Zhyr? The House Zhyr? The one that is the equivalent to the Ministry of Magic. The one with that famous herbalist Ay Ling, famous for finding the thirteen uses of kneewort? The one who almost rules the Wizarding World in China and half of Japan?"

Ron had stopped laughing, "You're joking! Your family rules a country and a half?"

Amused, Wren tried to act like it was nothing, "Oh, it's not really me. My uncle Phown is the actual power behind it all."

Harry was incredulous, "China's Wizarding World his a monarchy and you're part of the ruling family?"

Draco's reaction was not exactly what was Wren was hoping for, "Who cares? She hasn't got any power at all except in name, so what's all the fuss?"

Evidently, his opinion didn't matter much to her first three Hogwarts friends. They glared at him before turning back to Wren. Fortunately for Wren, they were interrupted by the entrance of a chubby boy looking for his toad. By the other student's exasperated looks, even Draco's, this was a common occurrence.

Curiously, the new boy glanced at her. Remembering her manners, Wren introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Wren, the new transfer student. You are . . .?"

Stuttering a little, the obviously shy boy told her his name, "N-neville Longbottom. G-gryffindor."Before he could say more, a girl who was clearly related to Ron ran into Neville with enough force to make them fall onto the floor in a tangle and startled cries.

Hermione helped them up as Ron introduced them, "Wren, meet my sister, Ginny. Ginny, this is Wren, the new transfer student from China."

Ginny shook Wren's hand, "Hi. I came here to let you guys know that we're going to stop in ten minutes, so you might want to change." It was then that Wren noticed the pretty redhead was wearing the black robes, skirt, and vest combination of Hogwarts uniform.

Draco and his two buddies who had remained in the background, said, "Well, Potter, Weasel, Longbottom. Surely you know it is only polite that we exit as girls change clothes."

Red-faced, the male part of the group left the compartment, leaving behind a very surprised Ginny and Hermione.

"Well," Hermione said at last, "Draco's either deranged, or has actually grown nicer."

Ginny had another option, "Why don't we just ignore it?"

Hermione started to rummage around her trunk, "Okay, I have to change. Wren? Don't you have to change as well?"

Wren simply flicked her wand and with another murmured word, was magically dressed in the Hogwarts uniform. The only thing different from Ginny and her was that she was missing a tie.

Hermione grinned, "Very nice. Why didn't I think of that?" Swishing her wand, she said, "Apparelis." Her uniformed appeared on her as well.

"Oh," commented Wren, "So that's the English version of it."

Ginny asked, "Are there more spells in the English language than Chinese, Wren?"

Wren stood silently for a moment. At last, she frowned and said, "I'm not sure. I know about 3,000 spells in Chinese and only 500 or so in English. I'm not sure that if the Chinese spells were translated into English, if that's even possible, whether they would still have the same results. I've never actually tried."

Ginny nodded in understanding, for she had seen a few ancient spell books in the Hogwarts library that had contained a few Chinese spells.

Hermione's reaction, however, startled both the other girls. He eyes had gone wider than Wren had thought humanly possible and she asked shrilly, "You know 3,000 spells? 3,000? Our cirriculum in Hogwarts only covers 2,000! How can there be more Chinese spells than English? Surely, the only difference is the language!"

Wren tried to calm her new friend down, "Hermione, the spells I know in Chinese are parallel to that of the English. It is the fact that they are both different languages that the Chinese have more. The spells are basically the same, but certain naunces in the Asian tongue changes the results slightly. That's the only reason they are classified as 'different' spells."

Hermione was not convinced, "But if you change the pronounciation of Wingardium Leviosa just a little, nothing will happen!"

Wren frowned in concentration, "Wingardium Leviosa . . . That's the lifting objects into the air spell, right?" When Ginny nodded, Wren continued, "Then I will use that spell as an example. In Chinese, the spell literally translated to English means light object soar into the air. Spoken in Chinese, to the untrained ear, it is only two words. Change the sound of just one of the words, the whole spell is literally translated as live beings fall to the ground. In order to know more spells, you have to speak and understand Chinese accurately."

Now both Ginny and Hermione were open-mouth with astonishment. They snapped shut again when Ron pounded on the door, "Oy! You girls done with it yet? We have to change too, you know!"

Hurriedly, Ginny changed (she had not learned the clothes changing spell yet). When she was done, Wren opened the door and allowed the boys in. Draco had already changed. Apparently, he had used the same spell as Hermione, therefore not needing his trunk. Also appearant was the absence of the two hulking boys, Crabbe and Goyle. It seemed Draco had sent them back to his compartment when they had started to whine about the left-behind sweets.

Harry had attempted the spell as well, but he was evidently only halfway successful. The vest he had on was inside-out and the tie was too loose. Ron had it worse, everything he had on was wrinkled or on the wrong way. Harry and Ron had confused looks on their faces.

As the boys went in, Wren heard Harry whispered to Hermione, "When I messed up the charm, he didn't even laugh or make some insulting comment on my intelligence. Did he hit his head over the summer or something?" Clearly, Draco was not acting like himself.

- § -

Getting off the train, Wren, Ginny, and Draco were still with Hermione, Harry, and Ron. They waved to Hagrid, except for Wren and Draco, of course. Draco had changed, but not that much. Wren didn't know who he was and had to be introduced.

"The new tansfer student, eh," said Hagrid when he found out who the stranger was. "Welcome te 'Ogwarts. Dumbledore be askin' me ta bring yeh in wi' the firs years an' then Professor McGonagall. Wants ta metcher."

Shooing away the rest of the group, Hagrid called for the first years, "Firs years o'er here! Firs years!"

Pointing to the fleet of small boats docked at the wharf, Hagrid motioned for Wren to board one while he kept summoning the frightened first years.

Sitting in a boat that rocked gently in the lake's slightly choppy surface, Wren watched as first years awkwardly boarded the now violently rocking vessels. Secretly, she was amazed at the diversity of students Hogwarts accepted. Wren was also amused at how scared these children seemed. They looked like they would start to cry or throw a temper tantrum any second.

Her reverie was interrupted by a small, "Excuse me . . ."

Twisting around, Wren looked up to see a small—delicate even—girl who looked strikingly familar. She looked years younger than what she actually was, probably 12 or so. Nervously twisting a lock of her soft, fair hair, she smiled shyly at Wren, "Hello, um . . ." Her voice was pleasantly musical, but so soft, Wren had to strain to hear what she had to say. "Would you mind . . . if I sat with you?"

She looked down at her feet, obviously embarrassed to be the last person to reach the boats. "I sort of got lost, so all the boats are full now . . . Except for the one with Mr. Hagrid in it, but . . ." She trailed off, looking hopefully under her long, wispy bangs at Wren.

Feeling sorry for the little girl, Wren tried to soothe her by smiling, "It's fine with me, just be careful when you get in. The waves are a little high, and it's too cold to fall into the lake."

Used to rocking motion of the small boat, Wren stood up and placing her hands under the child's arms, lifting her into the boat.

As the familiar looking girl sat down across from her, Wren tried to wrack her brain for who she reminded her of. Before she could figure it out, Hagrid called out and the little fleet of boats with its cargo of now thoroughly terrified first years started toward Wren's new school-Hogwarts.

- § -

It's a bit Wren-oriented right now because I'm trying to establish how her magic is different. There'll be more focus on the other characters in following chapters. I apologize for any errors in this, I wrote this in my freshman year… Looking back at it now… I could do better.

Any opinions? Please no flames if you just hate any and all Mary-Sues. I hate them now too, but Wren's pivotal to this.

Mucho gracias.


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